Boulder Civic Area planning enters next phase

Council adopts guiding principles; design competition set for Dec., Jan.

The next stage of planning for the future of the Boulder Civic Area will focus on developing more concrete plans and conforming those plans to the reality that most of the area along Boulder Creek is at high risk for flooding.

After holding a series of public meetings through the summer and early fall, the Boulder City Council this week adopted a set of "guiding principles" for the civic area planning process as it moves forward.

Those principles include establishing the area as the "civic heart" of Boulder, in contrast to the commercial activity on Pearl Street, with the open space around Boulder Creek as the "green spine" of the area.

The civic area will celebrate the city's history and existing assets, while enhancing access and providing connections for multiple travel modes.

The civic area will also be a place for new community activity and the arts while preparing for the possibility of a significant flood in the area.

City Council members have said that creating a Civic Area Master Plan to guide development in the area between Ninth and 17th streets, between Canyon Boulevard and Arapahoe Avenue, is a top priority.

They want to make the area safer and more vibrant, redesign Canyon as a true boulevard and encourage cultural institutions there.

Some ideas have included a science museum, performing arts complex or indoor, year-round Farmer's Market.

Boulder will hold another public workshop Dec. 5 that will focus on flood risk and how that might shape what eventually goes in the area, said city spokesman Michael Banuelos.

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And on Dec. 18, the Boulder City Council will discuss a structural analysis of the city's buildings in the high-hazard flood zone, the city's long-term space needs and the upcoming ideas competition.

City officials have said key municipal services and offices will stay in the civic center, but not necessarily in existing buildings.

The city will hold an ideas competition among top design professionals in December and January and present those ideas early next year, Banuelos said.

City officials say many of the ideas that end up in the final plan will take 15 to 20 years to see fruition, but they also are looking for ideas that can be implemented in two to four years.

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